No major movie is listed for release during the first week of the new year. In fact, certain unheard of names like HUMNE JEENA SEEKH LIYA HAI, HYDERABADI BAKRA, MANTHAN - EK KASHMAKASH and PHIR TAUBA TAUBA constitute the list! It is obvious that the box-office is going to see another disappointing week, just like the last week of 2007.

Last Friday's SHOWBIZ and the animated RETURN OF HANUMAN fared badly at the ticket window. While SHOWBIZ had a dull start in Bombay, it saw a disastrous opening elsewhere, THE RETURN OF HANUMAN had a weak to frighteningly low opening. Both the releases are destined to fail, due to the extremely poor initials.

Coming to one of the last major release of the previous year, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, it picked up at the multiplexes/cineplexes and big cities like Bombay, Delhi, Pune, Gurgaon, Calcutta, Hyderabad etc. The Darsheel, Aamir and Tisca starrer is exceptional in Mysore and Tamil Nadu, but is not upto the mark in C.P. Berar, C.I., Rajasthan and parts of North India. TAARE ZAMEEN PAR has also underperformed in the overseas territory (barring US). The film collected 2.81 crores from Bombay, 60 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 4.25 lakhs from Baroda, 2.20 lakhs from Valsad, 5.60 lakhs from Rajkot, 2.70 lakhs (gross) from Bhavnagar, 8.80 lakhs from Nasik, 2.50 crores from Delhi city, 27 lakhs from Noida, 38 lakhs from Ghaziabad, 18.70 lakhs from Lucknow, 3.10 lakhs from Agra, 4.10 lakhs from Dehradun, 6.15 lakhs from Meerut, 2 lakhs from Moradabad, 1.80 lakhs from Bareilly, 4.40 lakhs from Aligarh, 37.40 lakhs from Gurgaon, 6.20 lakhs from Faridabad, 1.90 lakhs from Panipat, 16.75 lakhs from Nagpur, 1.35 lakhs from Jabalpur, 1.50 lakhs from Amravati, 1 lakh each from Chandrapur and from Akola, 1.60 from Raipur, 22 lakhs from Indore, 1.25 lakhs from Sehore, 25.20 lakhs from Jaipiur, 4.50 lakhs (gross) from Ajmer, 75 lakhs from Calcutta, 3.20 lakhs from Guwahati, 3 lakhs from Aurangabad, 6.40 lakhs (gross) from Vijaywada and 48 lakhs from Hyderabad. In its opening week, Aamir Khan's directorial debut venture has netted around 17 crores from India. Given its selling prices and the collections till this point of time, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR has managed to get to an average status, but is sure to move up higher, as the weeks progress. In the Overseas, the movie is poor in the UK but is much better in the US with $352,568, during the first weekend.

from Durg, 1.50 lakhs from Gondia, 3.10 lakhs from Wardha, 1.80 lakhs from Rajnandgaon, 1.20 lakhs from Balaghat, 4.30 lakhs from Chandrapur, 2.65 lakhs from Yavatmal, 2.50 lakhs from Sagar, 1.20 lakhs each from Paratwada and Bhandara, 40 lakhs from Indore, 2.40 lakhs from Sehore, 2.50 lakhs from Ujjain, 1.05 lakhs from Mhow, 10 lakhs (gross) from Ajmer, 7.10 lakhs from Bikaner, 78.35 lakhs from Jaipur, 1.25 crores from Calcutta, 3 lakhs from Guwahati, 5.20 lakhs from Aurangabad, 7.65 lakhs (gross) from Vijaywada and 98.65 lakhs from Hyderabad. In its first week, the critically panned Feroze, Anil, Nana, Akshay, Katrina and Mallika (guest appearance) starrer WELCOME has netted 35 crores from India. Despite the high selling prices, the Anees Bazmee directed WELCOME is already a semi-hit in India, given the huge collections. The movie is sure to move up to a much higher status, within the next couple of weeks. The collections in the overseas circuit too are fabulous at most places, barring US. In fact, WELCOME may turn out to be Akshay Kumar's biggest overseas hit.

View Aaja Nachle Movie Stills

Meanwhile Yash Raj's AAJA NACHLE had a significant fall and is on its last legs. During the week, the Madhuri Dixit starrer collected 4.25 lakhs from Bombay, 1 lakh from Ahmedabad, 5.55 lakhs from Jaipur and less than a lakh from some of the remaining centers. With another 30 lakhs during its fourth week, AAJA NACHLE is likely to end its run in India with around 17 crores, it remains a below average venture. However, as we have said before, due to the fact that Yash Raj are also the global distributors, AAJA NACHLE will not be a loss making venture for them. In fact, once the non-theatrical revenues are accounted for, it may even bring in a small amount of profit. In the Overseas, AAJA NACHLE has grossed $484,108 from the US and has fared decently in the UK with $788,570.

Coming to Farah Khan's OM SHANTI OM, the movie continues to hang on against all odds. During the week, OM SHANTI OM collected 6.50 lakhs from Bombay, 1 lakh from Jamnagar, 2.15 lakhs from Delhi city, 1.40 lakhs from Lucknow, 1.50 lakhs from Agra, 1 lakh from Bareilly and 2.70 lakhs from Hyderabad. With another 35 lakhs during its latest outing, OM SHANTI OM has netted an astonishing 85.60 crores in just seven weeks from India. It also means that the ATBB (All Time Blockbuster), starring Shah Rukh, Arjun, Shreyas and Deepika has now achieved the highest ever total for any Hindi movie, going past the record set by DHOOM:2, which had netted 85.50 crores in 2006. In the Overseas, OM SHANTI OM is already a blockbuster, having grossed $2,622,627 from UK and a new record gross of $3,597,372 from the US.